Campfire Stories the Bryn Mawr Way…

Who doesn’t love a great story? We know our campers do! For years, campers have enjoyed traditional summertime readings of two of our favorite books, The Velveteen Rabbit and The Giving Tree, and we’ve blogged before about why we love those two books.

Each summer, when we sit down to read our Friday night stories, we try to bring back some old favorites as well as introduce some new selections, each with a message that underscores the values that are at the heart of the Bryn Mawr experience. Here are some of the books we’ve enjoyed at our all-camp storytimes this summer!

Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day
By Jamie Lee Curtis

“Today I feel silly; Mom says it’s the heat. I put rouge on the cat and gloves on my feet.” We love this fun picture book about a little girl and all the various emotions she experiences from day to day. Moods (good and bad!) are something that happen to us all, and it’s so important for children to feel like they can express their feelings in an honest, open and constructive way. Everyone will be angry, sad, excited, scared, happy or silly at various times, and we love that this book makes it feel OK to have all these different feelings, and to know that they are universal.

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
By James Dean and Eric Litwin

Singing, chants and cheers are such a big part of life at camp, so this sing-along book is a big hit with campers of all ages. We also love the message — that “stuff” doesn’t matter. Pete loses his buttons, but he doesn’t let that get him down. He keeps on singing! This is such a fun book to read aloud and to encourage kids to join in on the rhymes.

Miss Brooks is a quirky librarian who loves to bring stories to life. And Missy is a little girl who refuses to like any of Miss Brooks’ book suggestions. Miss Brooks goes overboard to prove to her student that there’s a book out there for her! To tell you the truth, this one is for our counselors as much as it is for our campers — they have all experienced trying to get a camper excited about something she doesn’t think she’ll like! For campers, Miss Brooks’ message is a wonderful one that really highlights one of the great things about camp: We might not all like the same things, but when it comes down to it, there is something for everyone!

We hope you and your daughters enjoy some of these stories at home — and if you have book suggestions, send them our way. We’re always on the lookout for a great read with a great message!